The present invention relates to an optical cross-connector for fiber-optical tele and data communication systems, and a method for automatic configuration of the ports of said cross-connector.
The development of fiber-optical transmission systems for digital traffic makes possible very high transmission speeds. Networks like SONET and SDH are intended for, for instance, tele and data communication, and offers transmission speeds of up to several Gbit/s. The advantages of optical networks compared with traditional electric networks are obvious, and SONET is for instance specified in the standard for broadband-ISDN (B-ISDN). At use of complex optical networks it is advantageous to utilize so called optical cross-connectors, intended to reroute wavelength channels, or optical signals generally. An optical cross-connector is a network device intended for telecommunication carriers to change optical high-speed signals. They differ from a digital cross-connector in that it deals with multiple high speed signals which are changes in full and are not multiplexed together. Characteristic of the optical cross-connector is that it operates in the optical domain (physical layer), that is, it only deals with optical channels (bit streams) without manipulating in that included information or channel integrity. Even when the optical channel at import respective export is in the optical domain, the channel can locally in the cross-connector change to electrical form, however still as a retained channel. Two forms of optical cross-connectors thus are possible, the transparent one, or the opaque one.
An optical cross-connector that is intended to reroute wavelength channels, or optical signals in general, is characterized in a number of in-and out-ports. There are indications that such optical cross-connectors in the future can have a large number of ports, up to 1,024 or more. At practical handling of these cross-connectors, manual connection of fiber-optical connectors for each out-and in-port, i.e. for each wavelength channel or optical signal generally, is needed. After this manual handling, which must be performed in a systematical and documented way, wanted cross-connection of in-ports to out-ports is made by means of software that handles the mangement of the optical cross-connector. Two operations consequently are needed; one manual part which must be documented and systematical (connect right connector to right port) and a terminal controlled part (via a management system make wanted cross-connections).
The present invention consequently aims at providing an optical cross-connector, and a method for configuration of this, which bridges the problems of known technology. More exactly it is an aim to provide a cross-connector for which the handling at connection and configuration of fiber-optical connectors is simplified.
These aims are achieved by a device for signal connection between fiber-optical wires, including a plurality of ports for connection of fiber-optical connections, and which have signal connection means arranged to connect optical signals between said ports. Characteristic of the invention is that a contact sensor is arranged to register when fiber-optical connectors are connected to said ports. The signal connection means is at that arranged to automatically establish a signal connection from a first registered connected connector to a second registered connected connector.
In one embodiment the optical cross-connector can be arranged to be set to automatically configure, in pairs, point-to-point signal connections between registered, connected connectors. The device also can be possible to set to a position for automatic configuration of broadcast signal connection from a registered, connected connector to other registered connected connectors. Said contact sensor can be an optical sensor, arranged to sense electromagnetic radiation from a connected fiber-optical connector.